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STATEMENT: Rep. Ro Khanna, HASC Ranking Member Adam Smith, CPC Co-Chair Mark Pocan announce plan to introduce a War Powers Resolution to withdraw U.S. forces from the war in Yemen

September 6, 2018

Press Release

Washington, DC – In light of the bombing of a school bus full of innocent Yemeni children by Saudi Arabian forces and the Saudi-led coalition’s escalating airstrikes, Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17) led his colleagues—House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (WA-09), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02), Michael Capuano (MA-07), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Barbara Lee (CA-13), and Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) —in announcing a forthcoming privileged resolution to withdraw U.S. Armed Forces from unconstitutional hostilities alongside Saudi Arabia in Yemen. This statement is released on the same day that UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths’ peace talks between the Houthis and the recognized Yemeni government are set to take place in Geneva.

“The people of Yemen face the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe where 22 million people require humanitarian assistance and almost 18 million lack access to food. The conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis has significantly exacerbated this humanitarian crisis. It’s critical that the United States not choose sides in this war, and any American involvement can and must be debated transparently.

“The Saudi-led coalition continues military offensives and airstrikes that have killed civilians and worsened the humanitarian crisis. On August 9th, 40 Yemeni children were killed by a U.S.-supplied bomb used in a Saudi airstrike. For every Yemeni civilian killed in an airstrike, countless more perish from hunger and disease triggered and sustained by the war. The Saudi-led coalition, and all parties involved, must be held accountable for their actions contributing to this ongoing crisis.

“The National Defense Authorization Act requires the Trump Administration to certify whether the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are undertaking demonstrable actions to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure and making urgent and good faith efforts to support diplomacy to end the civil war in Yemen. As the UN attempts to broker a ceasefire, it is imperative that the Saudi-led coalition halt fresh hostilities and planned offensives, particularly in and around the vital port city of Hodeidah. We are closely monitoring the actions of the Saudi-led coalition and the White House during these crucial peace negotiations.

“We are preparing to introduce a new, privileged resolution in September invoking the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to withdraw U.S. Armed Forces from engaging in the Saudi-led coalition’s conflict with the Houthis should additional escalations continue and progress fail to be made towards a peace agreement. There has been no specific authorization for the U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities with respect to the conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis in Yemen. We must take action to end U.S. participation in this catastrophic war in Yemen and work to bring about a peaceful conclusion to this conflict.

“We look forward to working with our colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to secure cosponsors for our resolution and support for the measure when it comes to the floor for a vote.”

Background:

Rep. Ro Khanna is the lead sponsor of H. CON. RES. 81, a bipartisan resolution that seeks to stop U.S. military participation in Saudi Arabia's war against the Houthis in Yemen, and lead a bipartisan group in circulating a letter calling for Defense Secretary James Mattis to help prevent the catastrophic military operation on the port of Hodeida in Yemen.

Rep. Ro Khanna is the lead sponsor of H. Res. 599 which passed the U.S. House and admitted that the “the United States has participated in intelligence cooperation since 2015 and…has provided midair refueling services to Saudi-led Arab Coalition warplanes conducting aerial bombings in Yemen against the Houthi-Saleh alliance” and that Congress had not “authorized the use of military force against parties participating in the Yemeni civil war.”

Rep. Ro Khanna recently met with Saudi Ambassador Khalid bin Salman to push for an end to the war and blockade of food and medicine, prevent new escalations during August recess and to accept the ceasefire being proposed by the United Nations. https://twitter.com/RepRoKhanna/status/1022164835642028032

Rep. Khanna has penned several op-eds to raise awareness and bring an end to the war: